World War One started in the summer of 1914 and ended four years later in November 1918. During this period it is estimated that over 11 million people lost their lives. This was supposed to be the war to end all wars. But of course a war on the same scale was only two decades away. Many wars and great battles had been fought before 1914 but none on this scale. The Great War marked a turning point in the history of warfare for various reasons: the vast loss of life, its length, the introduction of modern machinery and chemical warfare, the improvement and efficiency of the weapons used and the domination of trench warfare

In this investigation I seek to find out why trench warfare in particular led to the loss of so many lives.

WHAT WAS TRENCH WARFARE?

The terrible images of trench warfare experienced on all fronts during the First World War have stayed imprinted on the minds of people throughout the 20th century.

In order to prevent the German advance the BEF started to dig trenches. The digging of these trenches saw an end to the war of movement - from that time until 1917 neither side moved more than 100 yards. By early 1915 hundreds of miles of trenches stretched from the North Coast to the Swiss border.

The front-line consisted of a series of communication, support and advanced trenches and observations posts. The Germans were the first to build large trenches often reinforced with concrete. The French and the British had to improvise and dig in where they were under enemy fire. The soldiers had to dig trenches about 1 metre wide and over 2 metres deep, sometimes protected by armour plating and sometimes with flimsy roofs of branches and wire.

The Allied soldiers had to often dig their trenches on lower ground and so their trenches were usually waterlogged. The trenches were in a zigzag pattern in case of infiltration by the enemy to prevent them from shooting right down the line. Sandbags were placed on both sides of the top of the trench to try and absorb any enemy bullets. Barbed wire also helped to protect the frontline trenches from enemy attacks. There also was a fire step, which was cut into the side of the trench to allow soldiers to see over the side of the trench. Here the sentries stood on the look out for enemy attacks or spies.

The link between the support trenches and the front-line trenches were called the communication trenches. Through these passed equipment and supplies. They also carried men back and forward from the front-line trenches. Most movement to and from the front line, via communication-trenches and over-ground in the rear areas within enemy artillery range, was conducted at night. There would often be a continuous stream of carrying parties replenishing supplies for the front line trying to cross almost impossible terrain in the darkness. Similarly, rebuilding and repair work was usually done at night. Trenches required constant upkeep as they very soon fell into disrepair especially in wet weather. Under these conditions there was no such thing as a surprise attack. If the enemy snipers saw a head appear above the line of the trench, or the glow of a cigarette, they let loose with a hail of bullets.

No Man's Land was the term that the soldiers used to describe the ground between the two opposing trenches. At some points along the Western Front this could be only 50 yards wide and at others it could be as much as 500 yards The narrowest gap recorded was at Zonnebeke where the trenches were only about seven yards apart.

To make the march across No Man's Land more difficult, a considerable amount of barbed wire was contained in it. It was placed before the front line trenches and in vulnerable places it could be up to ten belts of wire. In some places the wire was more than a 30 metres deep. Broken and abandoned military equipment, bodies and shellholes also littered No Man's Land. The battlefield would often turn to mud quickly and this made an advance almost impossible. If a soldier was injured they would most likely drown in the mud.

It was not often that soldiers were immersed in a full-scale attack across No Man's Land. But they were occasionally sent out to obtain information from the enemy. Small patrols would be sent out at night in an attempt to get as close as possible to the enemy trenches. These patrols might, if possible, take a hostage and interrogate him.

TRENCH DUTY

To prevent exhaustion trench duty was generally conducted in spells: a number of days in the front line, a number in the reserve or support-trenches, and then a period of rest for recuperation and training, before returning for the next period of front-line duty.

One of the worst things for the soldiers was the endless hours of boredom. Often activity took place at night and so the days could be long and tedious in the stale atmosphere of the dug-outs. Soldiers played cards, wrote letters to family at home and drank cheap wine to make life bearable. Those who were skilled with their hands carved shell cases into ornaments to take home at the end of the war. Others invented terrible weapons which caused dreadful injuries on impact.